That Which Defines Us
by Suspicious Popsicle
Summary: Karol's introduction into my College Town set of stories. AU. Some Fluri.


A/N: I loved watching the way Yuri and Karol interacted in the game. I thought it was a really sweet and funny sibling-like relationship, and that the way Yuri encouraged Karol and teased him and supported him said a lot about his character. I wanted to take a bash at recreating that relationship in my College Town AU.

This story takes place maybe six months to a year after Yuri & Flynn started going out, so it's set before all the others I've written for this set so far. They don't have to be read in order, I'm just mentioning it because of a detail about how many jobs Yuri has.

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are from _Tales of Vesperia_ and do not belong to me.

* * *

A text alert from Yuri's phone woke him up long before he was ready to be out of bed on Saturday morning and he groaned into his pillow as he groped blindly for where he'd tossed it aside the night before. If it was Flynn, Yuri was going to kill him. He knew better than to wake Yuri before noon on Saturdays.

The message turned out to be from Karol. Yuri sat up, pushing his hair back out of his face as he considered the short text.

|im in trouble!|

With a sigh, he sent back a message asking what had happened. It looked like he wouldn't be getting back to sleep for a while.

|im egothor park pls hurry!|

Well, at least it wasn't too urgent if he couldn't be bothered to offer even a brief explanation. Yuri rolled out of bed and got dressed, grabbing up an empty book bag on his way out of the room. He needed to go grocery shopping, anyway. He could do that after he found out what was going on with Karol.

Egothor Park wasn't too far from The Coliseum, the arcade where Yuri had first met Karol. It was nestled in a little stretch of suburbia not ten minutes' ride from his apartment. He didn't spot Karol right away when he arrived, but there were only so many structures in the park where the kid could be hiding. Before long, Yuri found him braced at the top of a covered slide.

"What's up, boss?"

"Y-Yuri!"

Karol slid down and stumbled a little as he landed. The huge bag he always seemed to carry bulged, and Yuri could hear the crinkle of cellophane from within. He had some experience with packing bags to run away from home but, whatever was going on here, he wanted to hear what Karol had to say about it.

"I'm so glad you came! I didn't know who else to call!"

"Hey, calm down. Are you all right? Is anyone hurt?"

"N-no, no one's hurt, but…."

"Come on, then. Let's go sit down and you can explain." He led Karol over to the swings and waited for him to get settled in and start talking.

"I-I was hanging out with Nan and Tyson and everyone and…and they got hungry, so I said I'd go get us some snacks from the corner store. But then they said they didn't have any money for snacks, and I didn't have enough, so they told me…."

He stared miserably at the bag he'd dropped at his feet, and Yuri could pretty much figure out what had happened. Those other kids were bullies; that much had been obvious since the first day he'd seen Karol "hanging out" with them. It was bad enough that Karol wanted so badly to fit in with a group like that but to make matters worse he had a crush on the group's token female member. Yuri remembered what kids Karol's age could be like. Peer pressure could drive someone to do things they'd never consider on their own.

"…They told me to steal them some snacks." He looked up suddenly. "I know it was wrong! But…they said the old man who runs the store would never miss the stuff I took. And Tyson said all of them had done it before, even N-Nan."

He lapsed into silence, digging his sneakers into the dirt to push himself slowly back and forth. Yuri waited for him to continue. This was Karol's story, and he wasn't going to comment until it had been told.

"I-I stole some bags of chips and a few sodas. Tyson said they'd be right outside and if it looked like I was in trouble, they'd create a diversion for me to get away. They took off, though, and the old man at the counter knew what I was doing. When he tried to come after me, I just panicked and ran. W-what should I do, Yuri?"

"Hmm. That's a good question. I guess all I can say is that it's up to you what you decide to do."

"But, Yuri…!"

"Listen, Karol. Our choices are what define us. You can say whatever you like, but at the end of the day, all that really matters is what you do. You chose to take that stuff from the store. Now, your choice is to either keep quiet about it or 'fess up. No one can make that decision for you."

"B-but what if I get sent to jail?"

"Kids don't go to jail, not unless they do something way more serious than stealing a few bucks worth of junk food. Tell me, what do you think you should do?"

Once more, Karol frowned at his pack as he thought. After a few long moments, he sighed.

"I guess I should return it. I wish I could pay for it, but I already spent my allowance for this week."

"Tell you what. I'll loan you the money for what you took."

"R-really?"

"Sure. I'll even go with you, if you want."

"Thanks, Yuri!" He grinned, already more at ease with the prospect of facing the man he'd robbed less than an hour before. If the thought that Yuri would abandon him like those kids had crossed his mind, it didn't show.

Yuri fished his wallet out of his pocket and passed a few bills to Karol. "Here. It'll look better if the money comes straight from you."

"Oh. Th-thanks."

Karol slung his pack over his shoulder, but the money remained tightly clenched in his hand. With a glance back to be sure Yuri was coming, he headed for the path leading out of the park.

It wasn't a long walk to the convenience store, which was probably for the best. Karol grew increasingly tense along the way, tugging anxiously at the strap of his bag. He came to a dead stop before they even walked in front of the store's windows.

"I-I don't know if this is a good idea. M-maybe he didn't even get a good look at me."

"I couldn't say. It's up to you. Either way, you're the one taking the risk."

Not that he hadn't taken a pretty big risk already. Yuri knew Hanks, the old man who owned the store. He was a tough old geezer and didn't take well to being crossed. It was a wonder he hadn't gone after Karol with a broom or something.

Karol swallowed and set his shoulders. He still looked terrified, but Yuri saw determination there, too, and approved, glad that he hadn't misjudged the kid. Adjusting his bag one more time, Karol walked into the store.

Yuri wasn't sure what the kid had been expecting, but Hanks didn't even look up from where he was wiping down the counter.

"U-um, excuse me, sir…."

"Huh. Didn't make you for having the gall to show your face back in my store."

"I-I-I came to say I'm sorry. I b-brought everything back. I'll even pay for it!"

He started pulling things out of his bag: two large bags of chips, several packs of snack cakes, and half a dozen sodas. The pile on the counter was larger than Yuri had expected. He hoped he'd given Karol enough to cover it. As it was, that had been half his budget for dinner. Flynn would have to be happy with something cheap.

Hanks glanced over the items on his counter, eyed the money Karol held out to him in a shaking hand, and snatched the bills away. "Put that stuff back where you found it. I shouldn't have to clean up your mess."

"Y-yes, sir!"

As Karol hurried off among the shelves, Yuri stepped up to the counter.

"Thanks for going easy on him."

Hanks waved him off. "Don't think he isn't going to get a lecture once he's done setting my store to rights."

"Of course." Yuri had been on the receiving end of a few lectures from Hanks over the years. They probably beat getting sent to juvenile hall. Probably.

* * *

By the time Hanks was done with him, Karol was a few shades paler than normal and, in Yuri's opinion, not likely to steal anything ever again. They walked out of the store in silence. Karol headed back to the park with him, but Yuri was pretty sure it was only because he was running on autopilot, rather than actually wanting to go there. When they got to where Yuri had parked his motorcycle, he stopped and turned to look at Karol.

"You have anything planned for today?"

"Huh? Oh. No." He looked pretty down, but that was to be expected after the way his morning had gone.

"Why don't you come hang out with me?"

"I can't really afford the arcade right now."

"Forget the arcade. I've got plenty of games at my place."

"Your apartment?" He looked up, expression a little brighter at the offer.

"Yeah. I've gotta run by the store first, but we can hang for a while afterward."

"All right!"

Yuri couldn't help grinning back. Karol was a good kid; he just needed some confidence. Maybe having a decent friend would help.

* * *

A few hours later, Yuri and Karol were entrenched on Yuri's couch, game controllers in hand as the smell of spaghetti sauce filled the apartment. Yuri had offered to teach Karol to cook and, though all they'd done so far was mix up the sauce and set it to simmering, the kid was already proving to be a much better student than Flynn. He actually followed instructions, for one, and bothered to taste as he went to be sure the flavors worked together properly. As far as preparing meals went, spaghetti and meatballs was pretty easy, but Karol didn't seem to mind. He talked about how impressed his parents would be, and how he'd be sure to make the meal for Nan some time, as it was one of her favorites.

They talked a little bit about Karol's parents and his school. Both of them avoided bringing up the group of kids that had ditched Karol earlier, but Yuri hoped that he was beginning to see the truth about those brats. Karol was a good kid. He could do way better for friends.

With dinner started and nothing much to do until it was time to make up the meatballs, Yuri had offered Karol pick of his games, and they'd popped in a copy of Halo and begun kicking some serious ass.

That was how Flynn found them when he arrived home from visiting his mother late that afternoon. He paused just inside the door and looked from Yuri to Karol and back again, waiting for an explanation.

"Hey, Flynn. This is my friend, Karol. Karol, that's my roommate, Flynn. Hey, get that guy!"

Yuri leaned forward, furiously mashing buttons, while Karol jumped up off the couch and waved at Flynn.

"N-Nice to meet you!"

"Are you babysitting?"

"Good job showing some tact. No, I'm not babysitting."

"Do his parents know he's here?"

"Why don't you ask him, seeing as he's standing right—Karol, help me out here! That loser in the Banshee keeps trying to shoot me!"

"Sorry!"

Karol grabbed up his controller to rejoin the game, forgetting everything else. Flynn stared at them for another moment, then shook his head and hung up his keys. He started toward the kitchen, sniffing.

"What's cooking?"

In an instant, Yuri was on his feet. He hit the pause button and tossed his controller onto the couch.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, boss. Emergency. Flynn, don't touch anything!"

He lost sight of Flynn for just a second, but when he turned into the kitchen, Flynn was waiting for him, arms crossed, smirking.

"Ass," Yuri muttered, realizing he'd been baited.

"Why is there a ten-year-old in our apartment?" He was careful to keep his voice low, at least.

"He's twelve. I'll explain later, okay?"

Hooking a finger into the collar of Flynn's shirt, he pulled him in for a quick kiss, then turned around to see Karol peeking around the corner into the kitchen.

"I-I was just coming to see if I n-needed to go home."

Being caught only threw Yuri off for a second. He grinned at Karol and waved a hand dismissively.

"Nah, you're good. Don't mind Flynn. He sucks at handling people. Besides, you still have to help with the meatballs so you can cook for Nan."

"Oh, yeah!"

"You're teaching _him_ to cook?"

"Yuri says girls love it when a guy can cook!"

"Does he?"

Not really liking Flynn's tone, but wanting to avoid starting a fight in front of Karol, Yuri glanced back over his shoulder. "Do we need to discuss the last time I tried to teach you to cook?"

"No. I'll just go finish up my homework. Call me when dinner's ready." He sidled past Yuri, careful not to touch him as he left the kitchen.

Shaking his head, Yuri rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands. "Ready to get started?"

"Sure."

"Wash up. I'll grab the stuff we need."

He pulled out breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, a clove of garlic, eggs, and a package of ground beef and arranged everything on the counter. Pulling out a knife, he had Karol grab a mixing bowl and cutting board from the cabinet, then they got to work tossing ingredients together.

"Don't we need a spoon for this?" Karol asked as Yuri plunged his hands into the pile of meat and spices.

"Pfft. You washed your hands, right? Don't worry about it. Here." He nudged the bowl closer and indicated for Karol to mix things up a bit while he washed his hands and got to work mincing the garlic.

"Um, so, you and your roommate…you're…uhh…."

"We're going out."

"Y-yeah. Right. Okay."

There was quiet between them for a couple of minutes as Yuri let Karol organize his thoughts. He hadn't really intended on revealing the extent of his relationship with Flynn but, since Karol had found out on his own, he wasn't going to lie about anything. Karol could ask what he wanted and make his own judgments.

"Um…Yuri?"

"Yeah?"

"Weren't there any girls you liked?"

He dumped the garlic into the bowl and let Karol knead it in. "Not in the same way. Flynn's kind of a first for me."

"Like your first crush?"

"I guess you could put it that way."

"Nan's the first girl I liked. She's so pretty and smart and really brave! …Not like me."

"I think you were pretty brave today. You did the right thing earlier. Sometimes that takes a lot of courage."

He perked back up with the praise. "Yeah. Maybe you're right."

If it weren't for smell of garlic clinging to his hands, Yuri would have ruffled Karol's hair.

"Let me get the pan ready and we'll roll these up."

* * *

Dinner was ready less than an hour after that, and Yuri left Karol to set the table while he went and knocked on Flynn's door. He didn't wait for a response before sticking his head in, but he'd sort of figured Flynn would be bent over a textbook, anyway, so it wasn't like he was interrupting anything.

"Food's ready."

"Is your friend still here?"

Yuri rolled his eyes. "He's not going to bite, I promise. He's more scared of you than you are of him."

"Remind me why I put up with you."

"Mind-blowing se—"

"Yuri!" Flynn was out of his chair in an instant, horrified at Yuri's response.

"Chill out. He can't hear me."

"You shouldn't talk about that sort of thing in front of a child. Did he see earlier?"

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry; he's cool about it."

Flynn rubbed a hand over his face. "You shouldn't be allowed around children."

"I thought you weren't ashamed of me."

"I'm _not_, I just—"

He was interrupted as Karol called down the hall. "Yuri, are you guys coming? It smells really good!"

Yuri shrugged. "Hide out in here if you're that worried. I'm gonna go eat."

Flynn followed him, as Yuri had known he would, and within minutes they were all sitting at the table passing around salad, cheesy garlic bread, and a heaping bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.

"Yuri, this is awesome!"

"Don't sound so surprised about something you helped make."

Karol grinned around a mouthful of food, and even Flynn couldn't help cracking a smile at his cheerfulness.

"So, where do you go to school?"

"Ah, Dahngrest Middle."

"What are you studying there?"

"What do you think he's studying, Flynn? It's not a university."

"Most middle schools do offer electives, if you recall."

"Not if I don't have to," Yuri muttered. Middle school had not been the happiest period in his life.

"U-um, I'm taking P.E. and band."

"What do you play?"

"Piano…but I'm not very good."

"You'll get better with practice."

"Sure," Yuri said, grinning. "As long as you really are practicing and not staring at a certain pretty tuba player."

"Y-Yuri!"

"Did you choose that elective because of someone you like?"

"Ah, I…um…it's not like that! Nan and I are just friends."

"Sometimes that's a good way to start." Yuri smirked at Flynn as he spoke, and Karol caught the look.

"Were you two friends first?"

Flynn choked on his spaghetti and glared as Yuri started laughing.

"S-sorry. Yuri told me, so I—"

"Just ignore him, Karol. It's fine. Yeah, Flynn and I started out as friends back in kindergarten."

"_That_ long ago?"

"Jeez, don't look so shocked. You make it sound like we're old."

"I didn't mean—! But, when did you…? I mean, how…?"

"You want to know how we hooked up?"

"Yuri!"

"What? Should I have said 'how we started going steady?'" When Flynn didn't look any less grumpy, Yuri took his own advice and ignored him. "A little while back, Flynn finally worked up the nerve to ask me out, but he was making such a mess of it, I ended up asking him, instead. If you want the PG version, it'll have to wait till dad's not around."

That got a laugh out of Karol. "He really _does_ sound like my dad!"

Immediately, he realized what he'd just said and tried to take it back, stuttering. It was too late, though. Yuri shook with laughter as Flynn sat stoic across from him, doing his best to keep hold of his dignity amid the protests and laughter that had interrupted his dinner.

Eventually, Yuri's laughter subsided, Flynn convinced Karol that he hadn't taken any offense at the comment, and they all got back to finishing their meal. There were a few more outbreaks of silliness, culminating in Yuri using a trailing mouthful of spaghetti tentacles to imitate a squid until Flynn smacked him with the salad tongs. It was nice to forget every once in a while that he was supposed to be a responsible adult, and Yuri thought he ought to have Karol over for dinner more often. Flynn would just have to learn to talk to kids…and to get over his weird fear of squids. That hit with the tongs had _hurt_. By the time everything was cleaned up and it was time to take Karol home, Yuri was in a considerably better mood than he had started off the day in.

Flynn surprised both of them by offering to drive Karol home, and Yuri accepted, thinking that it might be marginally better if Karol's parents saw him being dropped off by car with two strange men rather than by motorcycle with one. He wasn't entirely clear on how protective parents normally would be of their twelve-year-old son. Although unusual companions could be explained, Yuri was pretty sure riding motorcycles was generally out of the question.

On the ride over, Yuri sat in back with Karol and watched the streetlights flash past and the traffic diminish as they drove away from the busy city streets and into cozy little neighborhoods. It was a little strange to think how different Karol's life was from the way his had been, despite the similarities between them. Yuri had come pretty close to ruining his life once, but he'd had a lot more reason than peer pressure from a few overgrown bullies. He hoped Karol would realize how lucky he was and not screw up what he had by falling in with the wrong crowd. Maybe what had happened that morning would keep him on the right path.

Karol directed them to a little house with yellow siding, and Flynn parked the car on the curb and released the locks. Yuri slid out to move up front, and ruffled Karol's hair when he came around.

"Thanks for everything today. I'll definitely pay you back!"

"I know you will. Don't let those guys make your choices for you, okay?"

"Right!" He hesitated, then: "Um…can we hang out at your place again sometime?"

"Sure thing, boss. Tell you what: next time I have friends over, you're invited, too. Then, you can brag about having been to a college party."

"All right! Thank you, Yuri!"

"No problem. See you later."

They high-fived, and Karol shot off across the lawn. Yuri was just climbing into the car when the front door opened up, spilling warm light onto the porch. He watched welcoming arms lead Karol inside as Flynn pulled away from the happy little picture of family life.

"He's a good kid," Yuri said, slumping against the door.

"Birds of a feather." When Flynn reached over to ruffle his hair, Yuri couldn't help smiling. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm good." He straightened up a bit in his seat. "I'm a little surprised you didn't volunteer me to tutor him on the piano."

"I didn't want to give away any more of your free time."

"So, it's yours to give away now, is it?"

"Damn right it is. It's just that I'd rather keep it for myself."

Yuri's reaction to that was discarded as his phone went off, and he fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open to read the text. He stared at the screen until Flynn got impatient.

"What's up?"

"Karol says his parents want to meet me."

"Well…you were talking about wanting another part time job. How much do piano teachers get paid?"

"Whatever happened to hoarding my free time to yourself?"

"You'll just have to make more for me, somehow."

"You know it's been a while since I actually played."

"So, kill two birds with one stone. Play for me tonight. It's like riding a bike, right? You just need to get back on."

"Whatever would I do without your selfless support?"

Flynn smiled softly. It was an expression that always seemed to make Yuri's heart speed up.

"I'm sure you'd come up with something."

"I'm coming up with something now, and it doesn't involve fingering in the musical sense."

The streetlights they passed lit up Flynn's blush in measured flashes, and Yuri grinned. Yeah, he probably would have been all right without Flynn, but it sure wouldn't have been as much fun.


End file.
